Great Synagogue, Piotrków Trybunalski

Great Synagogue of Piotrków Trybunalski
Newly restored synagogue
Basic information
Location	Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland
Geographic coordinates	51°24′34″N 19°42′06″E / 51.409566°N 19.701608°ECoordinates: 51°24′34″N 19°42′06″E / 51.409566°N 19.701608°E
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Status	Library
Architectural description
Architect(s)	David Friedlander
Completed	1791-1793

The Great Synagogue in Piotrków Trybunalski, (Polish: Wielka Synagoga w Piotrkowie Trybunalskim), was built between 1791-1793 and designed by David Friedlander. The synagogue was devastated by Nazis during the World War II. After the war, the building was renovated and it now serves as a library.

Although plundered during World War II, it is the best preserved synagogue in the Łódź region and one of the best preserved in Poland.

Background

Kazimierz Stronczynski who in 1844-55 led the first official inventory of important buildings in Poland, titled A General View of the Nature of Ancient Monuments in the Kingdom of Poland, describes the Great Synagogue of Piotrków as one of Poland's architecturally notable buildings.^{[1] [2]}

On the front wall there is a commemorative plaque in Polish, Hebrew, Yiddish, and English, which reads:

"This building, once 'The Great Synagogue,' and this plaque, sanctify the memory of Piotrkow Jews murdered by the Nazis during 1939 - 1945.
Remembrance and restoration project in memory of the Holocaust martyrs and the departed of our Jewish community and in memory of the Great Tzadik Rabbi Dr. Hayim David Bernard."

Renovation

In 2012 the synagogue was renovated. The façade was repainted according to its prior look before the war.

References

1. Maria and Kazimierz Piechotka, Heaven's Gates; Wooden synagogues in the Territories of the Former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Wydawnictwo Krupski i S-ka, Warsaw, 2004, p. 174.
2. Kolejne pieniądze na piotrkowską kulturę (26.02.07) – Urzad Miasta, Piotrków Trybunalski.